238 EEMINISCENCES OF THE LEWS. 



with a big club, who demanded who dared 

 intrude thus and take possession of his castle ? 

 My stalker, being a man of quick impulse and 

 presence of mind, answered not, but set his 

 hounds at the monster. Accustomed to stags' 

 antlers, they cared little for an unarmed head, 

 and at the monster they went, who did not act 

 up to the savagery of his appearance, but fairly 

 turned tail and fled at an awful pace in the 

 direction of the wee bit lochie. Into this he 

 jumped with a terrible bound and demoniac 

 yell, the hounds fastening on him as he sprang. 

 Long did the master wait for the appearance 

 of his faithful dogs. But nothing was ever 

 seen or heard of monster or hound. It is sup- 

 posed to be unfathomable, this loch, and occa- 

 sionally in the calmest of weather to be most 

 violently agitated, and to froth black. This 

 is the effect of the monster and the hounds 

 struggling every now and then to lose their 

 hold and come to the surface, which they 

 can't, of course. It is full of fish, which never 

 are to be captured. Such was M'Aulay's story, 

 which he said he did not believe, either. I dis- 

 pelled the charm, as far as catching fish went, 

 by getting a little coble to it one day, when 

 I got the most frightful midging I ever in 

 my days, even in the Lews, experienced, 



